The Controversy Surrounding Sunjay Dutt Pushes 'Kaante' Release To October!

By Dominic Ferrao

The controversy over the much publicised 'tapes' of the alleged Sunjay Dutt-Chhota Shakeel conversation seems to have affected the immediate Sunjay Dutt release 'Kaante' right away. From a slated 23rd August release, the film has been pushed to October; and even that seems to be tentative as of now. Given that the two other alleged protagonists in the 'Don tapes' happen to be Sanjay Gupta (who is the director of and partner in the production of 'Kaante') and Mahesh Manjrekar (acting in the film), there seems to be some kind of furore surrounding the release of the mega budget film. And now, to make matters hotter, the Opposition parties are demanding that the actor be arrested. With events snowballing every day, there is a fear that things could go haywire at the box-office if the cast and crew of 'Kaante' hit a road block now. Public and political pressure together seems to be taking its toll. There are demands from various political groups, students' organisations and the public that Sunjay and Co., should be made to answer for the 'tapes'.
This time round, even the industry is in no hurry to take a stand. Especially since the Shiv Sena, a party that had sought the release of the Dutt from prison the time he was arrested under TADA, is not seeking to support him this time. This could prove a hindrance, God forbid, in the eventuality of any action against the stars of 'Kaante'. For with over Rs 50 crore worth of films riding on the Deadly Dutt right now, producers are already crossing their fingers that nothing happens to the actor and that he is able to complete their projects. Which is why the film (also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Kumar Gaurav, Lucky Ali and Isha Koppikar) which was expected to release in August, has been postponed to October. Hopefully, things should die out then or at least water down, giving 'Kaante' a clean uninterrupted run. As of now, the tapes have become the proverbial 'thorn' in the flesh of the makers. And the star! Hopefully, all is well soon for the team.

filmfare.com